


To the End of the World

by TemperanceReversed



Series: Equivalent Exchange [2]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Crossover
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-07
Updated: 2017-05-07
Packaged: 2018-10-29 01:36:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10843779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TemperanceReversed/pseuds/TemperanceReversed
Summary: Back with its second rewrite!(Most of) Kingdom Hearts 1 with Edward Elric





	1. Amestris Falls

**Author's Note:**

> I hate Kingdom Hearts 1, I love the story of Kingdom Hearts, and the characters, but the controls for the ps2 version have ruined the game for me. I'm sorry to say it's reflected here in that I rushed to finish and be totally done with it and move on to the other parts of this massive crossover that I REALLY want to write. I am sorry that I can't get the quality to go any higher without making me hate this series too. OTZ

(3 years pre-KH1)

The day had started like any other:  head into the office and wait for the Elrics to haul themselves in from whatever library Ed had passed out in and avoid doing paperwork. The strange storm approaching in the distance was new, but several days old.

                “Colonel!” The tone of Ed’s voice held a note of urgency reserved for emergencies. The other alchemist barged into the office, carrying a leather-bound journal, which wasn’t his own judging by the color and fire damage.

                “What is it, Fullmetal?”

His answer came in the form of the journal being slammed down on the desk and opened to a seemingly random page and a seemingly random diagram pointed to.

                “We have a problem! Read this.”

Roy pulled the journal towards him, dislodging Ed’s finger doing so. He looked at the cover, which was blank except for a strange heart-shaped symbol. The names of the authors were on the inside cover:  _Van Hohenhiem and Ansem the Wise._

He flipped back to the spot Ed had indicated and began to read.  While he read, he could see Ed out of the corner of his eye, looking out the window impatiently. Outside the storm was growing closer, the wind picking up and rattling the flag outside the window.

                The journal described a storm, just like the one approaching outside, tearing worlds apart and throwing them into Darkness. The end of the world was approaching the city, and who knows how much of the country was gone already… Ed had reported not being able to contact the Rockbells and Roy himself couldn’t reach East City…

                “This is bad…”

Al’s statement was punctuated by something slamming into the building, throwing glass from the now broken window at Ed.

                “Uh, Chief? There reports of weird black creatures swarming the building.”

Ed scooped the journal off the desk and flipped through it.

                “There’s a transmutation circle in here that’s supposed to help. I need chalk!”

                “There might be some in my desk, stay here!”

Roy was out the door into the main office before either Elric could protest. Al dug through the desk drawers to locate the chalk. The rain started pouring down, the broken window failing to keep it out.

                “We need to block off this window…”

                “Here’s the chalk.”

                “Help me flip the desk.” Ed pocketed the chalk and swept the desk clear, knocking papers and pens flying and sending picture frames crashing to the floor. They pushed the upended desk over the broken window, keeping the worst of the rain out. The thunder outside was punctuated with the crack of Hawkeye’s gun.

                “Alright, let’s get to work.”

Out in the main office, Team Mustang was trying their hardest to keep the creatures out, but weren’t having the greatest luck. Roy’s flames seemed to be working the best.

                “This isn’t working!”

                “Aw shit, they got Fuery!”

The colonel backed up to his office door, keeping his eyes on the rest of his team, and his flames going in the main door.

                “How’s it coming, Fullmetal?”

                “A few more minutes!”

They didn’t have a few more minutes; the creatures were appearing through the floor, and no longer using the door.

                “Havoc!”

                “We don’t have a few more minutes!”

Hawkeye joined Roy by the door, Falman and Breda falling to the creatures just before reaching the Colonel. The office was a sea of black twitching figures, they swarmed over the desks and enclosed on the pair by the door.  A wall of flames separated them from the enemy. Outside, the storm ripped up chunks of pavement, uprooted trees and threw cars.  A particularly well placed car ripped a hole in the wall, flooding the office with rain and wind. The flames went out with a whooshing noise, snuffed out by the wind whipped rain.  They were soaked.

                “Edward!”

                “Al, open the door!”

The door behind them opened. Hawkeye pushed Roy through it.

                “Lieutenant…”

                “Someone has to hold them off…”

Roy opened his mouth to protest, to order her to come with him, when she kissed him, taking advantage of his stunned state to shove him farther into the office and close the door. The crack of her gun snapped Roy out of his shock.

                “No!”

                “We’re almost ready!”

Hawkeye’s gun fell silent.

                “Al, stop him!”

The Flame Alchemist lunged for the door, tearing it open to find Hawkeye gone. He picked up her gun, pocketing it so he wouldn’t lose it.  A wall of concrete went up in front of him, separating him from the creatures out in the main office. More creatures sprung up from the floor around them.

                “Shit!”

A creature came up from the floor through the transmutation circle, setting it off in a flash, blinding all three alchemists as the world ripped itself apart around them.

* * *

 

Ed came around with a groan. Everything hurt, even his automail.

                “What the hell happened? Al? Colonel?” He tried to sit up and the room spun in fast circles.

He tried again, slower this time, and having achieved his goal, looked around. He was in a bed, in a sparsely decorated room, with one window behind a pale curtain. It didn’t smell of disinfectant, so it wasn’t a hospital. Neither Al nor the Colonel was anywhere to be seen.

                “Well, hey there, sunshine.”

Ed quickly turned to face the speaker and the room swam again.

                “Careful now, don’t go passin’ out on me again.” The speaker was next to him with a bucket.

                “Who are you? Where am I? Where’s my brother? Where’s the Colonel?”

                “My name’s Cid, I’m the one who found you, and this is Traverse Town. You got a name, kid?”

                “I’m not a kid!  …My name is Edward…now what about my brother and the Colonel?”

                “I only found you, kiddo.”

Ed was silent as he processed that. This could still be a horrible joke, the circle could have worked, and Roy could have hired this strange man for a horrible…no, he wouldn’t do that…but it still could be a horrible joke.

                “I’ll be downstairs.” He heard Cid walk away, down the stairs. Glad the stranger was gone, even if it was just downstairs, Ed carefully got out of the bed and headed for the window, pulling the curtain aside.

Outside was not Amestris.  This was not a joke. He wasn’t in Amestris anymore.


	2. The Journey Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2, same bat time, same bat channel, minor bat edits...

Ed yawned and eyed the sofas in the corner of the shop with a longing eye.  A quick nap, no one was coming in, Cid would never have to know…except he would. He always seemed to know when Ed was napping instead of working. Not that there was ever much work to do…

The door opened, and a kid walked in. He remembered Cid saying something about a new kid in town.

          “How can I help y- oh. Cid’s not here, kid.”

          “I’m not a kid! The name’s Sora.”

He chuckled; Cid had said that Sora reminded him of Ed when he’d first arrived in Traverse Town.

          “Alright, alright! What do you need?”

Apparently Sora didn’t find who he was looking for. The former alchemist made a thoughtful noise.

          “Why don’t you check around town again? I’d help you look, but I have to watch the store ‘til the old man gets back.”

          “That’s okay, thanks.”

Sora left the shop and as the door swung shut, Ed heard Leon’s voice.

          “They’ll come at you out of nowhere.”

Any further conversation was cut off by the door finally closing. Ed went back to contemplating taking a nap, but was jolted back into wakefulness by a gunshot.

          “Leon, what the hell?!”

He opened the door to find Leon and Sora in the midst of a fight…with each other. It was over in a matter of moments, with Sora winning, but promptly passing out.

          “You alright there, Leon?”  Ed’s voice was laced with poorly hidden amusement.

          “Shut up, Ed. I went easy on him.”

          “What was that? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of you getting your ass kicked by a twelve year old.” He dodged the fireball Leon sent his way and went back inside to wait for Cid to return.

* * *

 

Ed was dozing on a sofa when Cid returned, a book over his face. The older man was impressed; he’d seen how tired the kid was when he’d arrived to work this morning, he figured he’d have been deeply asleep by now.

          “I’m back. Anythin’ interestin’ happen while I was gone?”

The teen sat up with a start, nearly falling off the couch. Laughter was met with a glare.

          “Mornin’, sunshine. Anythin’ happen while I was gone?”

          “Not really. I met Sora.”

          “Care to explain the soot stain on the door?” Cid was moving around behind the counter, looking for the ashtray he’d hid from Aerith there.

          “Leon did it. Anyone show up?” Ed pulled himself off the couch with a painful looking stretch, his automail cracking back into sockets with loud snaps. The gummi and metal combination was forever slipping out of the sockets while he was sleeping.

          “No.” Apparently, the mechanic had enough of putting up with stupid questions, lighting a cigarette and closing in on himself. Conversation over.

Ed scowled and left Cid to his mood, exiting the shop and heading down the stairs, heading for the third district and his and Leon’s place.

Aerith was over, making dinner. She didn’t trust the boys to feed themselves, due to the kitchen fire incident the year Ed had arrived. Leon had set their old house on fire trying to make breakfast.

He settled on a chair at the kitchen table, watching Aerith cook. Leon arrived home minutes later.

            “Hey, kiddo.” He ruffled Ed’s hair as he passed by to hang up his jacket and put his gunblade away.

            “I’m not a kid! Jeez.” The blond fixed his hair as Leon laughed. Leon joined him at the table.

            “What’s on your mind?”

            “It’s been three years…and I haven’t gotten any closer to finding my brother, or the colonel. I haven’t even figured out how to get off-world!” He dropped his head into his arms on the table.

            “Well, you could ask to go with the Keybearer.”

The Keybearer, the mysterious person they’d been told to keep an eye out for, who may or may not actually exist.

            “Right…”

            “Don’t give up  hope, Ed.” Aerith dropped into a chair next to the former alchemist. He peeked at her with one eye, she was smiling at him and running her fingers over her hair ribbon.

Yuffie burst in through the front door.

“There’s some sort of commotion in down in the Square!”

The square was at the center of the Third District, only a few blocks down.

Ed stood up and Leon went to get his gunblade.

The trio left the house and went down the street, going two and a half blocks before the way was blocked by large stone walls.

            “What the-?!” Ed smacked the wall, as if he could knock it down. He could have,  if he had his alchemy.

            “Where-?”  Leon was cut off by the sound of metal hitting stone.

“That didn’t sound good…” Yuffie was looking up, as if calculating a jump over the stone.

Ed let out a frustrated noise, he’d adjusted to not having alchemy anymore, but sometimes he missed it, usually when it would have made his life easier.

The stone receded as abruptly, and the trio raced into the square.

          “So you were looking for me?”

The question was met with some strange noises of confirmation.

“They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade.”

Ed looked up at Leon, then over at Sora. This kid was who they were told to look out for?

          “Hey, why don’t you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel.”

Other worlds…this could be his chance to go find Al and Mustang…if they were still alive. His only chance. He now understood Leon’s advice.

          “Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends.”

He was snapped out of his musing by Leon’s voice. His chance was slipping through his fingers.

          “Hey! Can I go too?”

Everyone looked at him, he flushed and looked at his boots.

          “I’m looking for someone too…and I did offer you my help, Sora.”

Donald and Goofy looked at each other again, then at Ed.

          “Okay, but you can’t come along looking like that. Understand?”

Ed and Sora exchanged a confused glance.

          “No frowning, no sad face. Okay?”

          “Yeah, you gotta look funny, like us!”

Donald shoved Goofy out of his face. “This boat runs on happy faces.”

          “Happy?” Ed wasn’t good at happy, the most he’d managed lately was content. He figured it was the recent Heartless invasion. Sora made a face that had Donald and Goofy laughing, and Ed too, once he saw it.

          “That’s one funny face!”

          “Alright, I’ll go with you guys.”

          “Donald Duck.”

          “Name’s Goofy.”

          “Edward Elric, call me Ed.”

          “I’m Sora.”

* * *

 

Ed had ducked out of the goodbyes to get his automail checked.

          “I knew you’d figure out a way to get out there and look for yourself.”

          “Yeah, well, I can’t keep sitting here doing nothing.” It had been three years, three years of not being able to do anything. The inaction was driving Ed mad.

          “I getcha.”

Cid was silent as he worked on Ed’s arm. The silence dragged on for a few long moments.

          “Keep an eye out for me, alright?” Cid broke the silence, his voice refusing to hold any hope. He’d gotten tired of having them dashed.

          “You got it, old man.”

          “Then get going, brat.”

The blond chuckled and headed out the door, to where Donald, Sora and Goofy were waiting. Leon handed him a pack.

          “Take care of yourself.”

“Be careful!” Aerith enveloped him into a rib crushing hug, which he returned, with less rib crushing.

          “I will.”

          “Come back in once piece.” He ducked Yuffie’s ‘friendly’ punch, he wasn’t entirely sure if she was still mad at him.

          “I will, jeez.”

Goofy, Donald and Sora were waiting by the gates, Donald was getting impatient.

          “Let’s go already!”

          “Ready to go?”

          “Yeah.”

 


	3. In the (Deep) Jungle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deep Jungle, rewritten.

         “Ed’s asleep, so we should be quiet.”

Sora looked back towards the seat the blond teen had claimed to see he was slumped over into the seat next to him, a bucket near his head.  They’d quickly learned that Ed didn’t handle take-off very well.

        “Hey! We should land here!” Sora leaned forward to look out the windshield.

        “No! There’s no way the king would be here!” Donald shoved the keyblade wielder back into his seat.

        “Well, Riku and Kairi might be! Maybe Ed’s friends!” Sora shoved at Donald as he tried to get up.

        “We have more important things to do!” Donald shoved him back.

        “Give me the controls!” Sora yanked the controls from Donald’s grasp.

        “Let go!” Donald tried to take the controls back from Sora.

Goofy looked from the fight over the controls to Ed sleeping to the world outside the windshield with a worried look. “Uh, fellas?”

        “What?!” Both Donald and Sora turned to look at Goofy.

Ed was woken by Donald’s squawking shout, just before being thrown out of his seat, as the ship went into a spin.  “Augh!” He was thrown into a storage locker with a painful sounding thud, before he could crash into anything else; Goofy grabbed him by his jacket collar.

        “You okay?”

        “Yeah, thanks.”

With Goofy’s assistance, Ed was able to get himself strapped in and brace for the impact that was surely coming.

* * *

 

When Ed came around, it was to a ruined empty tree house, with Sora nearby. He sat up with a groan. His automail shoulder snapped back into the port with a loud crack when he shrugged it back it in. “Sora?”

        “Ugh…Ed? Where are Donald and Goofy?”

        “They must’ve landed somewhere else. We should try to find them.” 

        “Let’s start with a way out of here.”

He struggled to his feet, his automail knee grinding a little during the motion, and joined Sora in exploration of the tree house. The jungle outside was eerily silent, almost like a predator lay in wait.

        “Sora, look out!”

        “Huh?” Sora whipped around, Keyblade raised, to meet the biggest leopard Ed had ever seen…not that he’d seen many.  He pulled the collapsible spear he and Cid had designed out of his jacket pocket and it extended to its full length with a snap (1).

Ed rolled out of the way and swung the spear at the large cat as Sora managed to get off a round of Blizzard.  The leopard turned its attention on Ed and his spear, easily slicing through the hollow metal.

        “Crap.”

Ed was running out of both spear and room to back up. Sora was quick to the rescue with another round of Blizzard, buying Ed precious moments to activate his arm blade, the blade unsheathing with a small whir (2).  Despite the better weaponry, Ed was still trapped in a corner and Sora’s position wasn’t much better. The leopard reared back to lunge…

…

…

A man burst through a window and landed between them and the cat, scaring the animal away. Ed studied the new arrival. He was obviously a native, and once the danger was passed, he dropped down onto all fours. Sora was trying to carry on a conversation with him, and wasn’t getting very far, although Ed was impressed with the man’s communication skills, as he’d assumed the man wouldn’t understand them.

        “I don’t think he can understand what you’re asking, Sora…”

He deactivated his arm blade and resumed his search of the tree house as Sora continued to misunderstand the strange man who saved their lives, but not finding anything useful, which wasn’t overly surprising.

          “Tarzan. Tarzan go.”

So their savior had a name…

          “I’m Sora. That’s Ed.”

At the sound of his name, Ed looked over to where Sora was holding introductions. It seemed Tarzan understood that much of what Sora said.

          “Tarzan go.”

          “Tarzan go, Sora, Ed go go.”

Ed rolled his eyes as he followed Tarzan and Sora out of the tree house, where Tarzan jumped into the jungle canopy below.

          “Looks like jumping is the only way…”

          “We could lower the boat…but it looks like the pulleys are rusted…” Not that they could reach the boat to begin with. Ed missed his alchemy.

          “After you.” Sora gestured for Ed to go first.

          “Oh, no. I insist, after you.” Ed backed up, allowing Sora to go first.

          “Oldest goes first.”

          “Bite me.” Ed decided to end the argument there, and just get it over with. With a deep breath, he jumped. Sora followed, landing behind him. Tarzan seemed to be waiting for them to follow him.

          “Don’t fall. It’ll probably kill you.”

          “That’s comforting.” Sora sounded uncomfortable.

Keeping up with Tarzan was difficult, but not impossible. Ed had practice moving through trees, even if those weren’t jungle trees…or giant trees…but while he had started off with little difficulty, as they went on, he’d started to slow. His knee was grinding with every step, until there was a snap.

          “Crap.”

He’d lost the ability to bear his weight on his automail, and the sudden dead weight threw him off balance, he slipped, and he was gone, crashing through the lower branches.

          “Ed!” Sora was unable to do anything but watch in helpless horror as the older teen vanished into the foliage below.

          “Danger! Go!” Tarzan was getting agitated.

          “Right. Go.” Standing still in the middle of the jungle wasn’t the best idea, so Sora resumed following Tarzan in silence. It wasn’t long before they reached the ground, where Sora was met with Ed’s crumpled form under the broken branches.

          “Ed!”

The blond groaned and pushed himself up. He was covered in scratches and had splinters and shards of wood sticking out of him, he was bleeding from a head wound. The fall hadn’t been a long one, but it looked like he hit every branch on the way down. “Sora…”

          “Are you okay?”

          “I will be. I can’t walk.” Sora helped Ed up and over to a nearby stump.

          “I think I have a potion somewhere…” he dug in his pockets for a potion packet, handing one to Ed when he found it.

          "Gah! Those are nasty!” Ed looked like he was going to throw up, a few of the scratches closed with a soft green light, everything else would have to wait until later.

          “Come on, Tarzan wants to keep going.”

          “Right.”

Tarzan led them to an encampment, it was slow and painful going for Ed, the potion hadn’t done much.

          “Oh, hello Tarzan!” a woman’s voice carried from the tent, “You want me to go outside?”

The owner of the voice exited the tent. “Oh my!” She went over to the pair and helped Sora get Ed into the tent, “Put him in the chair.”

They lowered Ed into the chair and she procured a matching footstool from somewhere. Ed put his leg up. “Thank you, uh-?”

          “Jane, I’m Jane.”

          “Thank you, Jane. I’m Ed, that’s Sora.”

          “Nice to meet you, if a bit unexpected.”

Sora asked Jane about his friends, and how to communicate with Tarzan. She sent Sora out into the camp to look for the missing slides she used to teach Tarzan.

          “You haven’t seen either of these two, have you?” Ed pulled a photograph out of his wallet and handed it to Jane.

          “No, sorry,” She passed it back and sat next to him with a first aid kit, “Let’s get you patched up.”

She began removing the shards and splinters of wood. His jacket had prevented any serious impalement, but even it had its limits. When she was through she passed him a hi-potion. He gave it the look he reserved for milk, but drank it anyway.

“I found these two in the clearing.” A man’s voice came through the tent wall. Ed turned to see Donald and Goofy be pushed into the tent.

          “Mr. Clayton! No need to be so rough!” Jane chastised the hunter.

          “Donald! Goofy!”

          “Are they friends of yours?”  Every time the man spoke, Ed wanted to punch him, and he’d only heard him twice.

          “Ed! You’re alright!” Goofy exclaimed.

          “Where’s Sora?”

As if summoned by his name, Sora entered the tent.

          “I found the slides, ma’m. Goofy! …Donald.”

After Jane took her slides, Sora and Goofy hugged, while Sora and Donald pointedly ignored each other. Ed felt he clearly missed something while he’d been sleeping.

          “We found this!” Goofy held up a block of gummi.

          “That’s a gummi block! What’s it doing out here?” One did not work for Cid and not pick up at least the basics of gummi ships. It helped that he wore automail that was 25% gummi.

          “That’s what we were wondering too! Maybe the King was here!” Goofy pocketed the gummi.

          “It looks like a navigation gummi, but I’m not positive. Cid would know for sure.”

          “Maybe we should go and talk to him?” Donald wondered.

          “We need to go back to Traverse Town anyway, for supplies, the crash wiped out most of what we had on board.”

Ed noted the glares exchanged between Donald and Sora when he mentioned the crash.

* * *

 

Sora, Donald, Goofy, Tarzan and Clayton went off in search of gorillas or something, leaving Ed and Jane behind in the camp.

          “I don’t suppose you have a toolbox?”

          “As a matter of fact, I do.” Jane procured it for him, and he thanked her with a smile. He considered his jeans, he really didn’t want to ask Jane to help him get them off, and they were ripped already from where his knee had gone through the fabric…he tore the pant leg off just above knee and toed his boot off.  He heard Jane gasp, and could feel her stare.

          “What happened?”

          “Everything has a price.” He unscrewed the outer plate of the automail, exposing the inner workings. When Cid made the leg he’d taught him how to do basic repairs and check for damage. The damage was beyond Ed’s skills to completely repair. He fixed what he could, skirting around things beyond his skill level and things too painful to do without disconnecting the nerves. It was frustratingly little, barely enough to let him stand, maybe walk. He replaced the panel with a frustrated noise and inspected the port for any damage. He would survive.

          “Was it worth it?”

          “Was what worth it?” He had a feeling he knew what she was talking about, and really didn’t want to answer. Not even his friends in Traverse Town were this nosy.

          “What you paid for.”

          “It cost a whole lot more than just my leg…can you hand me my boot?”

Jane handed him the boot, which he put back on with a bit of physical maneuvering.

* * *

 

Ed and Jane were deep in conversation when Goofy ran into the tent.

          “That Clayton fella’s turned into a Heartless!”

          “Where are Sora and Donald?” Ed tried to push himself out of the chair, and failed.

          “And Tarzan?” Jane sounded worried.

          “They’re fightin’ the Heartless.”

Ed gave up trying to stand for the time being, he wanted to be standing, not take a swan dive into the dirt. Goofy left the tent to defend it from the outside.

          “What are those things?”

          “Heartless!”

Knight Captain or not, Goofy was outnumbered, it was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed him. Already having seen it happen to someone he cared about, he refused to watch it happen to someone else. Ed pulled his backup spear out of his pocket, letting it spring to its full length, somewhat shorter than he’d have liked. “Help me up!”

Jane helped Ed stand. Leaning on her, he wasn’t sure he was helping much. It was kind of like hitting Envy with a stick, not very useful or effective. He shifted his weight and stood on his own. He swept his spear through a wave of Heartless encroaching on their small space.

          “Could we block them out somehow?”

          “Even if we could get somewhere defensible, they’d just get in.” Ed’s answer came over the crack of his Thundaga spell, which had momentarily deafened them. His point was proven as Heartless started materializing inside the tent. He pulled Jane close to him and readied a spell, when a Shadow knocked him to his knees, destroying the delicate jury rigged repairs.

          “Blizzard!” He’d never thought he’d actually be glad to hear Donald’s quacking voice.

          “Donald!”

          “Tarzan!”  Jane made a movement like she wanted to run over to the wild man, but a pained noise from Ed reminded her of her burden.

          “Jane hurt?”

          “I’m fine.”

Sora, Donald and Goofy made short work of the remaining Heartless, with Ed picking off strays with his Thundaga from the tent door.

* * *

 

          “Are you going to be alright here alone?”

          “I have Tarzan, and my father will be joining me soon. Take care!”

The group waved as they returned to the ship.

          “Next stop: Traverse Town!”

The tension between Sora and Donald seemed to have resolved, so Ed settled into his seat, buckled in and closed his eyes.

          “Can you teach me how to fly the ship?”

His eyes flew open and his stomach lurched in horror.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter End Notes
> 
> Ah, footnotes, my long lost love.
> 
> 1: This is my logic for Ed's weapon appearing out of thin air as KH weapons are wont to do. Sora's at least makes sense, he summons it, but Ed doesn't have hammer space abilities. It's a work in progress on what to make it out of and have it be strong.
> 
> 2: This is a Cid improvement, making the blade actually part of the arm. Other than this small improvement, the arm is still Winry's work. It slides out from the hollow top plate over the hand instead of being part of the plate elongated which is why it whirs when being used. The concept is similar to Assassin's Creed's hidden blade.


	4. Back in Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Traverse Town. AKA Gh0st still hates this chapter...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still hate this chapter, even after two rewrites...

“Well, look who’s back.”

          “Hey, Cid!”

It was just Ed’s luck that they’d arrived back in Traverse Town during the hour Cid spent watching for ships. Sora had greeted him enthusiastically, and then promptly asked for his help with Ed.

          “Sure, why not? Won’t be the first time I’ve had to carry him.” Cid carried Ed to the shop, chatting with Sora along the way.  “You mean you don’t know about navigation gummis?”

          “No…”

          “Buncha pinheads…It’ll getcha to new places. I can install it for you when I’m done with Ed.”

          “Really? Thanks!”

          “But, you gotta do a favor for me.”

The favor turned out to be a delivery, which Sora was glad to do.

          “Sora, why don’t you go see Leon?” Ed checked his watch, “He’s usually training in the waterway now. I’ll meet up with you at my and Leon's place in the Third District.”

          “Okay, have fun!” Sora waved as he left the shop with the rest of the group.

* * *

 

          “Jeez, kid, you don’t break anything halfway, do ya?” Cid let out an impressed whistle as he poked around the damaged leg.

          “Sora and Donald crashed the ship and then I got pushed out of a tree.” No way was Ed admitting he fell out of a tree. He’d never hear the end of it.

          “You mean you fell out of a tree?” Cid could always see through the teen’s crap.

          “It sounds bad when you say it like that…”

Cid chuckled and went back to work on the leg.

          “I can have ya up and walkin’ in an hour. Let me check your arm.”

Ed shed his jacket and set it aside for repairs, he’d have to beg Aerith to fix it again…or stop wearing it. The thought made his heart clench. It was his last piece of Amestris, even his automail wasn’t Winry’s anymore.

          “Arm looks good; we’ll oil it before you head out again.”

The only sounds in the shop for a long few moments were of Cid working.

          “Anyone interesting come in while was gone?”

          “No. Aerith says to keep up hope though.” Cid sounded like he was tired of hearing the same thing over and over, and he sympathized, Aerith had constantly told him the same thing, it was a hard thing to do.

          “The collapsible spear sucks. Stupid leopard cut it clean in half.”

          “Hm…maybe we should use a stronger metal.”

They talked shop as Cid worked, running pros and cons of various materials while Ed sketched out designs.

          “There, done. I’d say be careful with it, but you won’t listen anyway.”

Cid and Winry were vastly different mechanics. Cid had learned how to build and maintain automail because nobody else could and Ed needed it, Winry had learned because of a passion for it. Cid preferred that Ed could do his own minor repairs and make any adjustments; Winry had tolerated it but was never happy.  Cid lacked Winry’s somewhat gentle touch as well. He wasn’t Winry, and Ed preferred it that way, it reminded him of what he needed to do. He missed Winry horribly, even if she’d beat him within an inch of his life for wearing someone else’s work, even it was based on hers, when they met again. He was jolted out of his daydreams by Cid reconnecting the nerves.

          “All that’s left is to oil the arm.”

* * *

 

Ed was the last to arrive at his and Leon’s house, forgoing sitting in on a conversation he’d heard before to go to his room and change out of his torn jeans and dirty clothes. A shower sounded like an excellent idea.

Sora was just gearing up to leave when Ed came down the stairs.

          “Merlin wants to talk to you, Ed.” Leon’s voice carried from their kitchen, which was a change from Aerith singing in their kitchen, claiming she liked the acoustics.

          “We were going to check out that bell.” Sora informed him.

          “Go ahead, I’ll catch up. Leon, don’t set the kitchen on fire again.”

          “One time!”

* * *

 

Ed arrived at Merlin’s, a little worried about what the wizard could want. The wizard rarely had to request their presence, if he had something to say, he usually just waited until they showed up. Ed and Leon had developed tendencies to show up often just as Merlin had thought of something to tell them.

          “Ah, Edward. How are you today?”

          “You wanted to talk to me?” Ed sounded equal parts worried and rushed.

          “Your small talk could use some work.” The wizard huffed, crossing his arms and giving Ed _the look_.

Ed ducked his head. “Sorry, Merlin, I’m in a hurry.” He’d have followed Sora, but one did not ignore Merlin.

          “Look after Sora.” 

          “That’s why you called me he-” Ed started.

          “Do not interrupt me. This is a test of you as much as him. Remember who the adult is.” Merlin’s voice took on a harsh tone. That was a sobering reminder that had he still been on Amestris, he’d be learning to drive and he’d have more of his military privileges, the ones they didn’t want a 15 year old to have. He’d finally be considered an adult.

          “You will find who you’re looking for; you just have to keep looking.”

Apparently, Merlin was in the mood to divulge a bit of the future (1), so Ed decided he’d better pay attention, even if he thought the old wizard was a little crazy.

* * *

 

The bell rang for a third time just as Edward entered the Second District. He could see Sora and the others on the roof of the gizmo shop as he passed in front of it, knowing how to look to see people up there.

          “There’s Ed!” Sora decided to take the fast way down to where Ed stood and jumped down from the roof to land in front of him, a move that Aerith and Cid had both berated  _him_  over. Granted, he’d broken his automail doing it. “We found the Keyhole. It’s over there in the fountain.”

Behind him, Ed could hear the clang of metal on stone, and felt a familiar feeling of dread run up his spine. “Behind the giant Heartless?”

          “Yeah, behind the giant Heartless, but we beat this one before!”

Turning around to follow Sora and the others into the fight, he saw the Heartless for the first time. A quick check of his pockets turned up a Magnera that Yuffie had given him and a hi-potion packet. Activating his arm blade, he dove into the fight. They made short work of the Guard Armor, knocking it down within a few minutes. It got back up and, shaking hard enough to even rattle Ed’s automail, rearranged itself.

          “It didn’t do that before…”

The armor was homed in on Sora, and neither Goofy or Donald could distract it from him.

          “Magnera!”

Ed ducked the gauntlet flying at his head as the rest of the armor was pulled away from Sora, giving him time to heal and get out of the corner. Unfortunately the spell didn’t last very long, and the spell orb crumbled.  He had issues with Magnet spells anyway.

          “Sora! You alright?”

          “Yeah, I’m fine, thanks for the rescue!”

He pulled a spear from his pocket and used it to launch himself at the amour as it hovered just out of reach.  He hit it automail first with a resounding clang.

Sora looked up at the sound and saw Ed unleash a flurry of attacks; the blond was a blur of black and red. The armor faded away and released its heart as Ed landed in the fountain in front of the Keyhole.

          “Woah…”

* * *

 

Sora had wandered off to do something, so Ed caught up with Leon in the café outside Cid’s shop.

          “I heard you fell out of a tree.” Leon chuckled into his drink.

          “I didn’t fall! I was pushed!” Ed protested, defending his story.

          “By what? Tree ghosts? Sora?”

          “I’m not the one who got their ass handed to them by a twelve year old.”

          “Sora’s fifteen…”

          “Really? Huh. He doesn’t look it.”

          “You don’t look eighteen. Most eighteen year olds are taller.”

          “Who are you calling so short a shadow could step on him?!” Ed banged his fists on the table, rattling the cups on it. He’d gotten less sensitive about his height over the years, but sometimes, Leon was able to get a reaction out of him.

          “I thought I heard ya, Ed. We’re ready to go.” Goofy wandered over to collect the agitated blond.

          “Alright, see you later, Leon.” Ed tossed a few munny on the table to cover his drink.

          “Take care of yourself, Ed.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter End Notes
> 
> Ed and Leon have developed a snarky relationship, and I’m just rolling with it at this point…maybe on the next round of re-writes it’ll resolve, but I’d imagine not. I did not.
> 
> 1: Not that it's ever demonstrated in game, but Merlin does have the power to see the future. Go check out his movie. (Take your own advice, Gh0sT...)
> 
> Ed using Magnera even though it's not on his Abilities list: Yuffie gave him the spell, he lost it in his wardrobe, found it, and then broke it. He won't be using it again. He had it in the original for KH2 plot, but I changed it for something else. I liked Ed using it to pull the armor off of Sora, so I left it but had the spell break.


	5. Heroes and Villians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Olympus Coliseum, minor edits.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter never changes much with the edits and rewrites…

Ed sat on a pedestal and watched Sora try to interact with the busy satyr and get nowhere.

        “Move that pedestal over there for me? I gotta spruce this place up for the games.”

Sora went over to the pedestal Ed was sitting on and pushed.  “It weighs a ton.”

        “I don’t think you can move it, Sora.”

He went back over to the satyr. “It’s way too heavy!”

        “Too heavy, since when have you been such a little-Oh. Wrong guy. What’re you doing here?” The satyr jumped down from his pedestal and approached them, “This here’s the world famous Coliseum. Heroes only. And I got my hands full preparing for the games. So run along, pip-squeaks.”

        “Who’re you calling pip-squeak, pal?!” Ed jumped down to tower over the satyr, eyes flashing dangerously.

        “Ed…calm down…” Goofy put a hand on Ed’s shoulder.

        “Erm. Look, it’s like this, I got heroes comin’ from all over to fight ferocious monsters, right here in the Coliseum.”

        “You’ve got heroes standing right in front of you!” Sora protested indignantly.

        “Eh, where?”

        “Sora here’s been chosen by the Keyblade.” Goofy’s voice held a note of pride.

        “And we’re heroes too!” Donald was quick to add.

        “That runt? A hero? Blondie here,” The satyr gestured to Ed, “yeah, but you three,” he gestured to Sora and the others, “ain’t heroes.”

        “I’ve fought lots of monsters!”

        “If you can’t move this…you can’t…call…yourself a…hero!” The satyr failed to prove his point with the pedestal, “Alright, so it takes more than brawn. Let’s see what you got.”

        “Alright!”

* * *

 

Phil’s idea of training was pot breaking. Izumi Curtis, he was not. Ed was able to breeze through his sets without breaking a sweat. Sora was having a harder time of it, not being as well trained as the older teen. The blond sat in the stands watching Sora. He spotted a black shrouded figure in the stands opposite him.

          “You ain’t half bad, kid.”

          “Looks like I’m headed for the games!”

          “Afraid not.”

 “Why not?!”

          “Like I said before. Three words: You guys ain’t heroes! Now, if Blondie wants to sign up, he can.”

          “Come on!”

          “No dice. Blondie, you up for it?”

Ed looked at Sora, who was not happy. “I’ll think about it.”

Phil gave Sora a Thunder spell, and Ed slipped outside while they were distracted. Sora, Donald and Goofy found him sitting on the foot of one of the statues.

          “Are you okay?” Sora looked at him with concern.

          “He’s wrong. I’m not a hero. If I was, I wouldn’t be here…” Ed had his hands in his hair and head between his knees.

          “Ed…”

          “I failed my entire world, Sora. I was supposed to save them and I failed!” The former  alchemist snapped, “If I’d only been faster…”

          “You haven’t failed. We’ll bring back both of our worlds.” Sora smiled brightly as he spoke, and Ed envied him his cheerful attitude. He was a little concerned about the sudden melancholy out of nowhere, but chalked it up to nostalgia. The training might have sucked, but it still reminded him of home.

          “You want to enter the games, right?”

The entire group shot to their feet. Hades stood nearby. None of them had seen him approach.

          “Who are you?!” The question was waved off and Sora was presented with a pass.

          “Good luck, kid. I’m pulling for you, little shorty.”

Hades vanished as Ed shot to his feet, intending to attack.

          “We should go show Phil.” Sora was inspecting the entry pass.

          “I don’t know, Sora…I don’t trust that guy…”

          “Come on, Ed! We have the pass, why not use it?”

Ed looked down at his boots as Merlin’s words resonated with him.

           _“Remember who the adult is.”_

He was right; Donald was encouraging Sora because he wanted to prove himself, Goofy supported Sora in his little fit of not getting what he wanted. They could have easily let Ed fight in the Games to accomplish their goal, it didn’t have to be Sora…It was up to Ed to be the adult.

He pulled a spear from his pocket, letting it extend with a snap. They were experimenting with bamboo for this one. He unscrewed the spear head and put it in his pack, he wasn’t risking Sora’s life.

          “If you can beat me, without Donald and Goofy, you can join the Games, if you can convince Phil.”

          “Fine! You’re on!”

Ed was suddenly reminded of the fight he’d picked with Mustang, knowing he was outclassed but having everything to prove. Mustang hadn’t gone easy on him, and Ed wouldn’t be going easy on Sora.

          Sora was predictable in his attacks; he’d start off with a lunge at his enemy, followed by magic. He was overly reliant on Donald for healing, and Goofy and Ed for crowd control. Ed was interested to see how Sora would handle fighting him, and fighting him alone.

          It started exactly how Ed had figured, and he sidestepped Sora’s first lunge and knocked him off his feet with his staff.  Sora retaliated with a Thunder, most of which Ed dodged, catching a stray bolt and staggering while his automail compensated for the shock, and took advantage to get a good combo in. Ed recovered and threw out a Quake, knocking Sora off balance and throwing up shards of earth and paving stones, following it up with a fast aerial combo. Sora hit the ground hard. Ed paused to see if he was going to get up. He did; a look of determination on his face. Ed vaguely wondered if this was what Mustang saw when he fought him.

          “Giving up?”

          “Nope!”

          “Then come get me!”

Sora lunged again, and Ed flipped over the attack only to be hit with a quickly cast Blizzard. Sora had aimed it well, and hit Ed’s right shoulder.

          “Nice shot.” He switched his staff into his left hand and attempted to shoot off a Thundaga, but it failed with a sad little fizzle that had Donald and Goofy laughing. Ed had the advantage of being well trained in fighting and he tended to fight dirty. Sora was inexperienced, even with Phil’s ‘training’, but he was persistent.

          “Alright…alright. You win. Any longer and we’ll be too worn out for the games.”

          “Alright! Yeah!” Sora jumped for joy.

Ed watched his companions head back inside while catching his breath and reattaching the spearhead to his spear, before following suit, a feeling of dread in his gut. Sora was already talking to Phil.

          “Where did you get this?” The satyr squinted at the pass.

          “Can we enter the games now?” Sora ignored Phil’s question.

          “I suppose. Come on, the prelims are starting in a few minutes.”

He quickly signed the signup sheet and followed Sora back to the arena.

* * *

 

Ed was making a few minor adjustments to his arm when Cloud entered.  The other blonde practically glided, a red cape flowing behind him. Ed wasn’t one for capes, he thought they looked flashy.  He was followed by a familiar figure shrouded in black. It was the stranger from earlier, who’d been watching their ‘training.’ Ed’s eyes tracked the stranger until he was out of his sightline.

          “Anonymous fighter. It happens.” Phil took the stranger’s appearance in stride, apparently used to it.

Cloud, Ed, Sora and the mystery fighter rose through the ranks until it was just the four of them left.

          Ed and the stranger faced each other across the ring, Ed thought he could see hesitance in the stranger’s movements. This guy was reluctant to fight him, where as before, he’d been almost vindictive against his foes, using hard hitting fire spells without mercy, granted, those had all been Heartless.  The snap of the spear extending echoed off the stands. The pair was at a standoff, neither one wanting to make the first move.  Ed moved, using the spear to launch himself into the air, intending an aerial combo, only to be met with a fireball, which knocked him to the arena floor. He rolled to his feet, casting Reflega mid-roll.

          The stranger kept his distance, throwing Ed back from him with a barrage of fire spells. Something about the stranger’s movements resonated with Ed, nagging at him to remember something important. It was clear that he was getting nowhere with physical attacks, he couldn’t get close enough. He fired off a Thundaga, connecting, causing the stranger to stumble and singeing their cloak. He took advantage of the moment to get closer to his enemy.

          The stranger attacked, not with a fire spell, but with a pistol, drawn from the folds of the cloak. Ed’s Reflega shattered as the bullets slammed into it, saving Ed from eating lead, has he had frozen when he’d caught sight of the gun.

          The last time he’d seen that gun was when Amestris was destroyed. In Mustang’s hand.

          “Colonel?”

The stranger paused, and removed their cloak.

          “Long time, no see, Fullmetal.”

Ed shook off his shock as Mustang threw a fire spell at him, causing him to flip backwards out of the way. Knowing who was under the cloak made it slightly easier to fight, the fact that Mustang was reluctant to fight him made it difficult.

          Their fight dragged on, Ed just good enough to keep dodging, Mustang trying just hard enough to make it mildly difficult. There was a quick, but distracting flash of blue flame on the sidelines. Both Ed and Roy both looked to the source, where the angry god of the Underworld stood, with a shimmering figure Ed couldn’t quite focus on.

          “I’m sorry, Ed…I don’t have a choice anymore. For what it’s worth, I’m proud of you.”

Mustang’s attacks picked up in their intensity, the flames scorching the stone around them. It was getting harder for Ed to keep dodging.  A Quake threw the colonel off balance long enough for Ed to get close enough to physically attack with his spear and not have it burned to ashes right away.  Ed’s Reflega shimmered under a barrage of bullets, but holding. One good strike would take it down. He let it shatter under what appeared to be a well-placed Fira and landed a solid punch to Mustang’s jaw with his automail, knocking the colonel unconscious.  Ed knew he’d gotten lucky, that Mustang had worn himself out and that wouldn’t have worked otherwise. He made his way to the sidelines after being declared the victor. 

* * *

 

His next fight was against Cloud, and his fight against Mustang had drained him on multiple levels. He didn’t stand a chance; Cloud had wiped the floor with him.

          “You okay, Blondie?” Phil’s voice held a note of worry; the fight had been quick but brutal. He was surprised Ed had walked off the field.

          “I’ll survive. Be careful, Sora.” Ed pulled off his jacket, wincing as he did so; he’d broken more than a few ribs. He dropped down into a seat near Phil, who let out an impressed whistle while passing him a hi-potion packet.

          “That’s quite an arm you’ve got there, Blondie.”

He ignored the satyr and drank the potion before checking over his arm. It was just scorched, his jacket taking the brunt of the fire damage. He should have left it behind in Traverse Town, but he was stupidly attached to the worn out red fabric.

          “Look at the kid go!”

He looked up from his arm to see Sora holding his own against Cloud, but just barely.  Donald was running himself dry trying to heal the Keyblade wielder and Goofy was struggling to keep Cloud distracted, but then, the tide of the battle turned, Sora had fallen into the trap of relying too much on Donald and Goofy, and Cloud came out the victor.  Even from where they were sitting, Phil and Ed could hear Sora gasp at the appearance of a large black three headed dog, seemingly out of nowhere.

          “Herc!”

          “Phil, get them out of here!”  Hercules was holding back Cerberus.

          “Come on, Blondie.” Phil pulled Ed along as he lingered trying to see what had happened to Cloud. Sora and the others had already run into the lobby.

          “Phew. Herc should be able to handle Cerberus…”

          “And protect the other fighter?”  Ed sounded extremely skeptical.

          “Then again, maybe not. This doesn’t look good.”

Sora stood in front of the door to the arena, “Let’s go.”

Phil stepped in front of the group. “You’re not entering the arena?”

          “I’m not afraid.”

          “This isn’t a match, this is real!”

          “Decide for yourself if I’m a hero or not!”

With a resigned sigh, Phil stepped aside. “At least Blondie here has some sen-where’d he go?”

Ed had slipped out while Sora was dealing with Phil, making his way back to the arena, grabbing a solid spear off a weapons rack on the way. It was weighted wrong, but it would have to do.

          “Are you crazy?”

          “Says the guy carrying dead weight on his shoulder. Come on, I’ll cover you.” It was a bold statement, considering they were backed into a corner. All six of Cerberus’ ears perked up and in unison, all three heads swung around to pin Sora, Donald and Goofy with snarls.

          “Run!”

Hercules and Ed made a break for the lobby door as Phil yelled back to Sora his two words of advice.

          “ATTACK!”

* * *

 

Ed tuned Phil out; he’d heard it before when Phil had bestowed the title of Hero on him earlier. Instead he headed outside and found Cloud sitting on the steps. “Hey, you okay?”

          “Yeah.”

          “Why’d you do it? Side with him?”

          “I’m looking for someone, Hades promised he’d help.”

Ed dropped down on the step next to Cloud. “Did you ever talk to…never mind…I don’t think I want to know…”

          “Hades has a hold over your friend. If you can find a way to break it…”

          “I could free him?”

Cloud nodded as he stood up. He offered a hand to help Ed up, which Ed accepted, still worn out from their fight. “You know, I never caught your name.”

          “It’s Ed.”

          “Cloud.” Cloud walked away, briefly talking to Sora, before going back inside. Sora came over once Cloud left him. “Are you okay?”

          “Phil forced a hi-potion on me, I’m fine.”

          “That’s not what I meant.”

          “We have that navigation gummi to check out.” Ed avoided the question. He wasn’t sure about the answer anyway, he’d need some time to reflect on what had happened.

          “Right. Let’s go then."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter End Notes
> 
> I debated at great lengths at where to put Roy and a friend suggested Olympus Coliseum in KH2, but I wanted him in TtEotW, for reasons, so I put him in Olympus Coliseum here. This isn't the last we'll see of Roy, but we won't see him again for a while.  
> This chapter is the beginning of a downward spiral for Ed, just FYI. If you want fluff/crack, wait until I get Days without Memories back up.


	6. Something Wicked-Somewhat Graphic Violence warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween Town, Gh0st went for the M rating and landed at like a high T...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ed’s costume is The Headless Horseman, credit to xXHoLLoWeDXx over on tumblr for the costume and the spears! This chapter is a first in that Ed was able to hold the chapter on his own, without Sora, for most of it. Also, I want to keep this at a T rating, and as SOMEONE *looks at chapter villain* wanted this to be M, I'll write the M rated fight scene and post it as another chapter, but not right now. Trying for that M Rating this go round! I don’t think I made it…

“This sure is a spooky place…I’ll bet the people here are scary-lookin’ too.”

          “Don’t worry, we look spooky too.”

Donald was right, Ed noticed, the duck was wrapped in bandages, and apparently hollow, and Goofy looked like something out of a monster story he remembered reading.

          “Woah…Ed, you have a pumpkin head!”

He went to pull his watch out of his pocket, intending to use it as a mirror, but found that he wasn’t in his jeans; his watch was located farther up, in a waistcoat. He was not happy with the unexpected wardrobe change. The metal of his watch was tarnished, something he’d never allowed.

          “Come on, let’s go exploring.”

They made their way into town, to find the strangest sight they’d come across so far.

The Heartless weren’t moving. They weren’t trying to attack, they were just there.

          “That’s creepy.”  Ed poked one to see if it would do anything; it just hovered in place, seemingly not bothered by the touch.

          “And now,” a voice boomed, causing them to start and look around, spotting an official with a megaphone, “Allow me to introduce the master of terror, the king of nightmares, Jack Skellington!”

The Heartless began to move, in unison, to some choreographed routine, as a skeleton rose from the fountain and struck a pose.

          “That’s just weird.”

Fortunately neither the skeleton nor the official heard Ed’s remark; too busy congratulating each other.

          “Those ghosts will be a huge hit come Halloween!”

          “Hmm…the movement isn’t quite right…” Jack didn’t sound convinced, “I want to strike bone chilling terror! I’m going to see the doctor!”

          “I don’t like the sound of this, Sora…let’s go check it out.”

          “Right!”

They followed Jack to the doctor’s lab, where they walked into Jack’s scheme.

          “I don’t understand! Maybe the guidance system was damaged in the explosion?”

          “Nonsense! My devices are always perfect!”

Ed frowned, it sounded a lot like they were controlling the Heartless with machines…he didn’t like it.

          “Oh! I’ve got it! The Heartless need a  _heart_! Doctor, do you thing we can add a heart to the device?”

          “Certainly. A heart’s not that complicated.”

And now he had the feeling he should force Sora back to the ship and leave. While he was planning their escape, Sora was talking to Donald.

          “You’re really going to unlock it for them?”

          “Why not? If they succeed, we won’t have to fight the Heartless. Besides, I want to see the Heartless dance, don’t you?”

          “Not really.”

          “No. We aren’t helping them.” Ed’s voice took on a hard, flat tone.

          “Why not?” Sora looked at Ed with disbelief in his eyes, the older teen had never refused to help the people they’d come across.

          “Because it’s wrong.”

          “But if it can control the-”

          “There are things you just don’t do. This is one of them.” Ed could see that Sora didn’t understand. “You don’t ignore Merlin, you don’t wake Cid before eleven, you don’t attempt human transmutation and  _you don’t mess with hearts_.” The last statement was said with so much pain and finality that Sora took a step back from his friend.

          “It’s not a real heart…”       

          “Help if you want, but I want nothing to do with this. This? Messing with hearts, this is how Heartless are made.”  Sora watched his friend leave the lab, coat flaring behind him.

* * *

 

Ed wandered out into the graveyard, he was too angry to return to the ship just yet, he’d be tempted to leave the others behind.  The Heartless in this area weren’t docile, giving him an outlet for his anger, which had been provoked even more by his spears having been altered as well as his clothes, now sporting horse heads that whinnied every time they made contact.

He was snapped out of his angry venting by the sound of a deranged giggle and a small motor revving. He barely had time to flip out of the way as he was rushed by a tall creature wielding a chainsaw. Its long, matted black hair and tattered red cape fluttered in the wind behind it, and a cracked mask hung off of half of its face. It wasn’t anything Ed had ever seen before, and it defiantly wasn’t a Heartless. The creature swung the saw at him, and he had to keep dodging backwards to avoid getting cut in half. He quickly cast a Reflega in desperate hopes that it would stop the saw. His hopes were in vain, as the saw shattered the barrier and grazed Ed’s automail, cracking the hollow radial plate. The crack of a Thundaga rent the air, momentarily stunning the monster, allowing Ed time to duck behind a large tree. When the creature recovered, it swung the saw at the tree, and as he’d hoped, the blade sank deep into the wood and lodged there.  It didn’t buy much time, but enough for an escape. Ed ducked into a hole in the wall behind him, and into another part of the cemetery. He could hear the whir of the chainsaw as it was freed from the tree, which then fell over the wall, narrowly missing him. The monster didn’t seem inclined to follow him, but he had no idea where he was.

This section of the graveyard was overgrown, with no clear path, and save where the tree had fallen, no obvious way out. Back to the monster or forward into the unknown…

As he stood pondering his decision, the chainsaw roared behind him, cementing his decision. Forward it was.

The perpetual gloom that hung over the world paled in comparison to the darkness that was cast over the deepest parts of the cemetery, tangled in a dead forest. He could hear the Heartless in the shadows, and the giggles of the chainsaw wielding monster following him. He generated a small circle of light from his costume, which he still hadn’t seen for himself.  As he moved through the graves and trees, a feeling of dread settled in his gut.  

          “Brother?”

Ed whipped around at the voice coming from behind him. No one was there.

          “Al?!”

          “Brother!”

Al’s voice echoed around him, leaving him unable to pinpoint where the voice was coming from.

          “Al!”

Insane laughter cut off Al’s voice, and Ed spun to meet the monster with the chainsaw. The chainsaw was off at the moment, and the monster was just staring at him. Ed pulled a spear from his belt and let it extend. The monster tilted its head, looking at the blond with confusion.  He collapsed the spear but didn’t put it away, and the monster stepped back. A branch snapped somewhere in the shadows and the monster bolted. Ed pulled his cloak tighter around him to ward off a sudden chill before re-orienting himself and moving forward. He was unsure of how much time had passed when he came across a clearing in the dead and mangled trees. There was a figure sitting on a cracked coffin.

          “So you finally found me.” The voice was his brother’s, the tone was not. The shape of the figure was wrong for his brother, even in his own body.

          “I wasn’t aware I was supposed to be looking for anyone but my brother.”

The trees nearby rustled, revealing the monster that had been following Ed and Sora, Donald and Goofy (1).

          ““Now this simply won’t do.” The figure waved a hand and Heartless swarmed Sora and their friends. The monster revved the chainsaw.

          “Oh, now I’m upset. You’ve corrupted my pet…” The words poisoned Al’s voice; a voice that should never speak words like this imposter spoke.

Darkness shrouded the monster, pulling towards the figure. It screamed; its voice raw and broken. As it was pulled, it changed. Ed recognized the man the monster changed into. He’d seen him every day he’d gone to work at Cid’s shop, in a picture Cid displayed on the counter.

          “Let him go!”

          “Oh, I don’t think so.” The voice changed into one he recognized with a cruel laugh.

          “Envy!”  As that realization dawned, he extended the spear he still held.

Envy slid off the coffin. He didn’t look any different than the last time they’d met, but he felt like a Heartless, stronger than any they had faced yet. Then Ed noticed the Heartless symbol where the Homunculus’ ouroboros used to be. (2)

          “Long time, no see, Pipsqueak!” Envy’s tone was light, despite the maniacal grin.

          “DON’T CALL ME PIPSQUEAK!”

The yell echoed through the dead trees and gravestones, scaring off most of the lower Heartless.  Ed lunged for Envy, forgoing the spear and attacking with his automail, landing a punch to the center of Envy’s face. The homunculi threw him into a crypt, which collapsed under the force. Darkness swirled around his hand, forming into a sword. He approached the collapsed crypt and fallen former alchemist.

          “Hold it right there!” Sora raced to stand between Envy and Ed, taking his battle stance.

          “No, Sora. He’s mine.” The battered blond dragged himself out of the rubble, the pumpkin head mask of his costume was cracked and leaking. He removed it.

          “You just don’t know when to quit, do you?” Envy pointed at Ed with the sword.

          “I’m stubborn that way.” Ed spit blood out of his mouth.

Envy smirked and in a swirl of darkness, a near clone of Ed stood in his place.

          “Al…”

          “That's right. You wouldn’t attack your own brother.”

Ed clenched his fists, and squared his shoulders. Sora could practically see the anger radiating off of him. He attacked with a rage fueled shout, driving his automail into the homunculus’ face. The onlookers could  _hear_  the breaking of bones.

          “Your own brother!”  
  
          “YOU ARE NOT MY BROTHER!” Ed’s words were punctuated with attacks, moving too fast for Envy to dodge. The Heartless homunculus vanished into the shadows, only to reappear a distance away, sending more tendrils of darkness to attack the enraged blond. They engulfed him, smothering him with Darkness.

“HA! GET OUT OF THAT!”

          “Ed!”

          “We have to do somethin’!”

Envy turned on Sora and his friends, the maniacal grin he’d fought Ed with turning into an angry snarl.

          “Stupid brats! Sticking your noses where they don’t belong! You can JOIN HIM!” Dark tendrils raced for the trio, turning into lethal spikes on the way.  They never reached them, instead slamming into the figure that had appeared in front of them. The monster that had led them here was between them and the insane Heartless. Envy let out an enraged shriek and threw the monster into another crypt before approaching the group with a Darkness sword.

* * *

 

Ed could hear outside the Darkness surrounding him, he heard Envy turn his attention on his friends. He was trapped with no way out; there was nothing he could do…

He was going to fail them, just like he failed his entire world…

A soft light started glowing in his hand, getting brighter and brighter, driving the darkness away. As the light receded, a weight made itself known. He looked down to find a Keyblade in his hand. It was white and the designs on it reminded him of his Gate of Truth. He raised it and gave it a few experimental swings, driving the rest of the darkness away as he did so.

          “Did you miss me?”

          “Ed!”

Envy spun around to find Ed behind him, Keyblade resting on his shoulder, a smirk across his face.

          “A Keyblade?!”

Sora, Donald and Goofy joined Ed, facing off against Envy, the monster with the chainsaw revving it up behind the Heartless. He was outnumbered, and with two Keyblades, his odds of victory, let alone survival were slim, he shrouded himself in darkness and escaped.

“Envy, you COWARD! Get back here!”

The monster turned back into a man, who fell heavily to the ground.  Sora cast a cure over him, perking him up slightly. Donald cast cure over Ed, who was on the verge of collapse.

          “We should take him with us. Cid will take him in.”

          “Okay.”

Getting them all back to the ship was an ordeal; their new passenger could do little more than push himself along while Ed and Sora supported his weight. They got him settled into a seat and strapped in, Ed didn’t want him falling. At last they were ready to leave, and Ed couldn’t be happier to leave this world, and its memories, behind.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter End Notes
> 
> Adding both Roy and Envy was actually a friend's idea, and I adored it for several reasons I won't get into here, but I knew once I got to this chapter, after the re-write, that Envy would show up in Halloween Town to torment Ed. Don't worry, this isn't the last we see of him. I'm not sure yet if the other homunculi will show up. I've had a request for Pride Vs Sephiroth, but I'm not sure if I'll make it canon to this verse or not.
> 
> 1: They were close by looking for Ed.
> 
> 2: Envy is a Heartless similar to Ansem Seeker of Darkness, and at the moment, he just has vague Heartless-y darkness controlling powers and his healing factor. Envy actually IS Ed's brother here, but Ed doesn't know yet. I've kind of mashed the 2003 anime and Brotherhood together for him.
> 
> Hellmasker got a redesign, and while it's not perfect, this is pretty close to what I envisioned. I finally got the permission for a link back from the wonderful artist, so go check out their work ( http://wynahiros.deviantart.com/art/FF7-Hellmasker-26035970 )


	7. If Wishes Were...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agrabah. In which Gh0st tries something new.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter messes with the GUMMI SHIP layout, namely giving them places to actually sleep, not just the seats and a galley. It’s safer to sleep buckled into your seat during flight which is why it hasn’t come up yet, but having bunks and a place to eat in the ship just makes sense.  
> Also, I know according to KH2 they beam down, but pssh. *Handwave* They land on the world in Equivalent Exchange.  
> Since this is Agrabah, have some Ed reflecting on wishes.

To say Ed was still upset with Sora was an understatement, he was furious. He sat in sullen silence as they left Halloween Town, not speaking with anyone. He was still silent and angry when they landed in Agrabah.

            “I’ll stay behind with Vincent.”

Sora looked hurt that Ed wanted to stay behind, he’d picked up on the fact that Ed was angry with him, but he hadn’t thought it was that bad.

            “Okay. We’ll check back in a while then.”

The party left the ship, after helping Ed move an unconscious Vincent into a bunk. Ed flopped onto his bunk. He’d have gone along if he thought his temper would survive the sand in his already broken automail and the sun heating it to nearly unbearable temperature. He really wasn’t in the mood to be miserably hot and itchy.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn’t want to subject Sora to any more of his foul mood. The last time he’d been this upset he’d broken Leon’s nose.

Three years of pouring over every scrap of the journal he could remember and write down, chasing every lead he could while world-bound, learning magic to replace his beloved alchemy, only to be running in place. Three years of fruitless research, only to be dragged on a wild goose chase across the worlds. A goose chase, he had to remind himself, that he’d volunteered for.

He’d found Mustang, enslaved to the god of the Underworld and he’d found Envy, even more of a monster, but he’d found no trace of his brother.

Ed curled up, wrapping himself around his broken automail, thoughts drifting to Winry. He missed her terribly.

            _‘I wish I could see her again. I wish I could see all of them again.’_

Some nights, sleep came difficultly, sometimes chased away by Leon’s deep snores, or Donald’s quacking ones, other times chased away by terrified voices.

_“Havoc!”_

_“We don’t have a few more minutes!”_

_“Someone has to hold them off…”_

_“Al, stop him!”_

The pounding on the door behind him, the feel of the chalk under his flesh hand as he traced the transmutation circle, the first since _that night_. The Flash.

            _‘I wish I’d been faster…’_

They’d all be alive if he’d been faster, if he’d done it without the circle, if he’d found the journal sooner.

If…

Someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes to find Vincent looking at him with concern.

            “You were having a nightmare.”

Apparently, it was going to be one of those, where sleep came and trapped him in unending horror and regret.

            “Sorry.”

Vincent returned to his borrowed bunk. They were going to have to take him back to Traverse Town soon. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Ed looked up at the bottom of the bunk above him. “Do you ever wish things worked out differently?”

            “Yes, but wishing doesn’t accomplish anything. What is done is done.”

            “I guess you’re right.”

* * *

 

            “I wonder what this is?” Sora held a red gem up in the sunlight, it looked different from the others they’d come across. “Maybe Ed will know.” He put it in his pocket.

            “Speakin’ of Ed, maybe we should go check on ‘im.”

            “Alright, let’s go!”

* * *

 

            “That’s your plan to lure the other keyblade wielder to our side? A gem?”

            “Not just any gem. A very special gem.”

* * *

 

            “Hey Ed!” Sora bounded onto the ship with all the enthusiasm of a puppy.

            “Oh. Hey Sora.” Ed was eating an apple and watching the sand swirl outside the windshield. He was bored, but still not leaving the ship. Going out in the sand storm was asking for trouble.

            “How’s everything?”

Ed shrugged in response, mouth full of apple. Aerith and Merlin weren’t here to smack him for talking with his mouth full, but they’d just know, somehow, he was sure of it.

            “Can you tell me what this is?” Sora took the gem out of his pocket and held it up for Ed to see.

The former alchemist choked and dropped his apple onto the sandy floor, snatching the gem from his friend. “Where did you get this!?”

            “So you DO know what it is!”

            “It’s dangerous, is what it is! Where did you get it?”

            “We found it, in the Cave of Wonders.”

He stared at the blood red gem in his hand. “I can’t believe it…one survived…” He closed his hand around it, fighting the temptation to use it.

            “What is it?”

            “A philosopher’s stone. It’s from Amestris. It allows you to bypass the laws of equivalent exchange. To get something for nothing.”

            “Wow. So could you get your brother back?”

Ed’s heart clenched. Here he was, holding all of his and Al’s dreams in the palm of his hand, and Sora had to ask that question. “No. Even philosopher’s stones have their limit.”

Silence hung for a long moment.

            “Well, we should get back to it.”

            “Be careful. If you come across more of these, bring them back, they’re too dangerous to be left behind.”

            “Got it!”

* * *

 

Upon returning to the bunk room, Ed threw the philosopher’s stone in his bag.

            “Something for nothing, huh?”

            “I thought you went back to sleep, and even with a philosopher’s stone you can’t get something for nothing. Someone else just pays the price.” Ed flung himself back into his bunk and his flesh arm over his eyes.

            “The loud one woke me up.”

            “He does that.” Ed lapsed into silence, musing on the stone.

He could use it. He could bring back Amestris, equivalent exchange, the souls in the stone for the souls of the world. He could find Al…and bring him back in his body. He could fix himself, have flesh and bone and blood limbs again. He could find Sora’s friends or Donald and Goofy’s king. He could bring back Leon, Aerith and Cid’s world. He could rescue Mustang. He could do anything he wanted.

No.

He wouldn’t use it. He and Al swore to never use a philosopher’s stone. He wouldn’t dishonor his brother by violating that.


	8. The Begging of the End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory cram everything in chapter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have some Ed venting about Sora not listening to him. For reference, Olympus Coliseum, Halloween Town and Agrabah have been like right after each other with very little rest and respite.   
> The next few worlds are supposed to be Atlantica and Neverland, neither of which Ed will be accompanying Sora to. Atlantica because he’d be staying in the ship, and Neverland because Ed is a non-believing adult, and we know what having non-believers in Neverland does… (looking at you live action Peter Pan) so we’re skipping them.  
> LIGHT VALENWIND AHOY!

Ed had elected to remain behind in Traverse Town with their new friend, needing his automail fixed. He half dragged the mostly unconscious man to Cid’s shop, where he dropped him on a couch. Cid joined them, freezing when he saw their injured guest.

          “Vince…” The mechanic dropped down next to the occupied couch, removing the pointy metal boots and unbuckling the tattered cape, as he checked the unconscious man over. “Where’d ya find him?”

          “Halloween Town. The monster that attacked me turned into him…I recognized him from that picture on the counter.”

Vincent was sickly pale and skeletally thin, even more than he’d been the last time Cid had seen him. He had a long thin scar over his eye, Ed hadn’t noticed it until Cid brushed Vincent’s hair back from his face, it had been hidden under the monster’s mask. “What happened?”

Ed told the older man what had happened in Halloween Town, and about the monster that had wielded the chainsaw against him, and the strange Heartless that controlled it.

          “Sounds like Hellmasker likes ya.” Cid chuckled.

          “If that was liking me…”

          “He coulda killed ya.”

Ed shrugged, conceding the point, and headed for the door. “I’ll go get Leon and Aerith. We’ll help you get him settled.” The former alchemist headed for their house in the Third District, walking slowly, his hands in his pockets. It had been a long time since he’d seen firsthand evidence that Leon, Cid and Aerith were still suffering the same as him, they’d also lost their world and loved ones. Aerith and her eternal optimism balanced out Leon and his anger or Cid and his desperation. Ed had found and returned one of their lost friends, while he’d found one of his, and couldn’t save him. He kicked a loose stone into the street, where some kids took over kicking it around. He shook himself out of his funk as he approached the house he and Leon shared with Aerith. The living room light was on, at least someone was home, even if he might have to trek to Merlin’s to find the other one. He planned on a shower and change of clothes before heading back to the shop.

Aerith was in the living room, putting finishing touches on a bundle of red fabric. She looked up when he entered the house, she looked like she’d been crying.  “Are you okay?”

          “They’re happy tears, Ed. Don’t worry. Here. I made this for you.” She stood and handed him the bundle. He unfolded it into a long denim jacket, adorned with zippers and his flamel. The right sleeve unzipped up the forearm to allow his arm blade to spring out, and unzipped off at the shoulder. He could feel the fire resistance worked into the denim.

          “Th-thank you.” His voice caught, this gift was remarkable. It touched him that she’d noticed he’d ruined his old jacket and made him a new one.

          “You’re welcome!”

Ed thanked her again and then excused himself to go shower and change while they waited for Leon.

* * *

 

They got Vincent settled in Cid’s room with a minimum of fuss, although Aerith cried. He’d woken up again shortly after, and Aerith had handed him a mug of broth and Cid had pelted him with questions.

          “Guys, leave him alone, let him rest!” Ed scolded.

Aerith ushered Ed and Leon out the door to go home.

When they got home Ed went up to his room and shut the door before flopping on his bed. He’d missed his bed, it didn’t move, there was no quacking snoring, no Sora falling off his bunk.

            “Hey, Kiddo. Everything okay?” Leon’s voice came through the door.

            “Yea-wait, come in!”

Leon opened the door and entered the room. “What’s up?”

            “What was I like when I got here?”

            “Three years ago?”

            “Yeah.” Ed sat up on the bed so Leon could sit down, Leon took the spot and began talking with a sigh.

            “Angry. You weren’t the easiest to get along with. You ended up with me and Aerith, mostly because Cid had his hands full with Yuffie and the shop, but also because Aerith and I were more patient with your moods.”

            “How?”

            “Because I was…am…angry too. I couldn’t save my world either. Is this about Sora?”

            “…I’m not good at the whole being a guardian thing…” Ed looked at his automail, “First my brother, then my world and now Sora…I’m not cut out for any of this…I’m an alchemist without any alchemy…” Ed fell back to stare at the ceiling.

            “Ed, great men are forged in fire. You’re doing fine.”

Yuffie stuck her head in, interrupting them.

          “Sora’s back, they’re getting ready to check out a new world.”

          “Alright, I’ll meet them at the ship.”

* * *

 

Ed had a quick errand to run before meeting up with the others at the ship.

            “Ah, Edward, what brings you calling today?”

            “I…I’m just…I need some advice…and a favor.” His talk with Leon had helped him calm down, but some things, only Merlin could help with.

“Oh?” The wizard shuffled around and ushered Ed into a seat and the tea set busied itself making tea. Ed set the philosopher’s stone on the table, Merlin’s eyes widened, recognizing the stone for what it was.

            “How am I supposed to be the adult when he never listens?”

            “A question I’m sure your Colonel asked himself many times.”

Ed stared into his teacup, which changed to a flushed pink color. “Are you trying to say I’m Mustang? You’ve never met him!” Letting Sora do his own thing, even when he said no, vaguely supervising this insane mission, Ed let his head hit the table. “I’ve turned into the bastard!”

            “Mimicking your father figure isn’t uncommon.”

            “He’s not…” Ed trailed off, he knew he was deluding himself. “Thanks Merlin.” He got up and left the wizard’s house, heading for the ship.


	9. The End of a Journey-Graphic Injury Warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND IT'S OVER!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This picks up right when Donald and Goofy leave Sora for Riku, cause up until then, everything is the same. I cut the need to go back to Traverse Town because in the end, for Ed, it ends the same way, and I liked this way better. The Traverse Town crew have to get to Hollow Bastion some how right?  
> GRAPHIC DEPICTION OF INJURY

Ed shook in restrained fury as Sora stood in shock as they watched Riku leave with Donald and Goofy. Both of them had failed to summon their keyblades at the critical moment, allowing Donald to switch sides.

          “Come on. We’re gonna go rescue Belle.”

          “We don’t have keyblades…”

          “Don’t need ‘em.” Ed handed Sora one of his short spears, and unzipped his sleeve, freeing his arm blade. “Just because I can’t summon The Truth doesn’t make me useless. Same goes for you.”

Sora looked up at Ed, his hair and coat fluttering around him in the light breeze, the light shining behind him, lighting him up like the Heroes from Olympus Coliseum. He saw what Phil saw in Ed, the Hero he denied being, the Hero he tried to hide.

          “Alright, let’s go!”

Behind them, The Beast roared in defiant approval.

They weren’t expecting Envy. The Heartless appeared out of the mist and attacked Ed, separating him from Sora and The Beast.

          “Go! I’ll take care of him!” Bright white light surrounded Ed’s metal hand, flickering a few times before failing to materialize The Truth.

Sora ran from the fight, The Beast following him. They couldn’t afford to turn back when Ed screamed.

* * *

 

Envy laughed a cold evil laugh as Ed’s keyblade failed to heed his call. He summoned a sword of Darkness as he approached the blond.

          “Not so tough without your keyblade, are you, Pipsqueak?”

          “Don’t. Call. Me. Pipsqueak!” Ed lunged at the Heartless with his arm blade poised for an attack. Envy sank his blade into Ed’s stomach and relished in the scream that followed.

* * *

 

Ed screamed as Envy’s blade sank into his stomach. Struggling through the pain, he swung his armblade at the Heartless’ face. Envy laughed and snapped it off, breaking the arm in the process, splintering gummi and metal with a sickening crack, before dropping Ed to the ground and kicking him in the ribs.

Ed pulled a spear from his pocket, extending it into Envy’s face.

            “Were you expecting that to hurt?!” Envy laughed as his face healed flawlessly. The Heartless Homunculus still had his healing abilities. Ed groaned as he struggled to his feet. As long as Envy was here, he wasn’t chasing after Sora. “You just don’t know when to give up, do you?”

Ed squared his shoulders and looked Envy straight in the eyes.

            “No. I don’t.”

Envy shrugged. “Your funeral.”

* * *

 

Cid had long ago stopped doubting Areith’s feelings. She’d predicted the fall of their world, she’d known that Zack and Vincent were alive, so she probably knew what she was talking about when she insisted that he take her and a ship to follow Sora and Ed.

What they found when they landed was Ed, a crumpled heap of broken bone and automail, bleeding out on broken flagstone. His back was towards them, his blood staining his hair pink. The air around him shimmered with the light purple of a Reflega. Cid shattered it with his spear so Aerith could check Ed over. She let out a shocked gasp. The wound seeped Darkness, leeching life.

          “Curaga!” The wounds were bathed in soft green light, the ones not tainted with Darkness healed, the ones that were remained open and bleeding. Aerith pulled off her jacket and tore as much of her skirt as she could, making bandages.

          “We have to get him to Merlin.”

          “Ssssss….” Ed hissed, “Sssora…”

Cid swore. Of course he’d be concerned about Sora, especially with whatever could maul a fighter like Ed around.

          “We can’t go after Sora, neither of us has a keyblade…he’s tough, he’ll be okay.”

Bright light flickered around Ed’s fingertips, momentarily forming his keyblade before flickering out.

* * *

 

Ed woke up. Surprising, since he didn’t expect to. He didn’t recognize the room he was in, although it was decorated to his tastes. He sat up to pain radiating across his chest and up his neck. He looked down to see that he was wrapped in bandages.

          “We thought we lost you.” Leon stood in the doorway, looking lighter than he ever had.

          “Where are we?”

The gunman grinned. “Home.”  



End file.
